Improvement in breech-loading ties-arms



L. CONROY.

Breech Loader.

Patnted June 15, 1869.

cited ism imita LOUGHLINfCONROY,

or New YORK, N. Y.

Lette/rs Patent No. 91,421, dated June 15, 1869.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of the same.

To all whom 'it may concern Beit known that I, LOUGHLIN CoNRoY, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Breach-Loading Fire- Arms; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part :of this specification.

This invention relates, first, to an improved ari rangement of, and means of'working'the cartridgeshell extractor, and is applicable especially to such breech-loading lire-arms as have a swinging breechblock, but is also applicable to arms with breech-blocks of other kinds, when the breech-block is operated by a lever under the stock.

The extractor is arranged in a recess iu one side of the breech-receiver, where it swings upon a pivot ar-` ranged above the pin upon which the breech-block and its operating-lever, or either of them, work, and is operated by the action upon a spriug-pawl, which it carries, of a projection formed upon the lever or breechcember 31, 1867 and It consists ina novel and more simple construction of the said recoil-block, the swinging breech-piece, and their operating-lever, whereby a more positive looking of the recoil-block, when the Vbreech is closed, is obtained.

The invention also consists in a spring-case, for containing the main spring, and which affords peculiar facility for supporting, and for inserting and removing the same; and

It further consists in the arrangement of the sere within the said spring-oase, in suoli manner that the main-spring may also serve as the sere-spring.

Figure 1, of the drawing, is a central vertical longitudinal section of the breech-parts of a breech-loading fire-arm, in which all of these improvements are exhibited.

Figure 2 is a transverse vertical section of the same, taken through the centre of motion of thebreech-block, and its operating-lever, in the plane indicated by the line x :1; of iig. 1, and showing the parts in rear of said plane.

Figure 3 is a transverse vertical section of the same, taken through the centre of motion of the extractor, takeu in the plane indicated by the line y y of figs. 1 and 4, and showing the parts in front of said lane. f p Figure 4 is a'svcrtical longitudinal section, illustrative of the application of the extractor, omitting the parts not necessary for such illustration.

Figure 4# is a side view of the extractor, detached.

Figure 5 is a plan, corresponding with iig. 1.

Figure 6 is a side view ofthe breech-block and Figure 7, a top view of the same.

Figure 8 is a side view ofthe recoil-block; and

, Figure 9, a top view ofthe same.

Figure 10 is a side view of the spring-case; and

Figure 11 a top view of the same. l

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

A is the breech-receiver, connecting the barrel B with the stock of the arm.

Gis the swinging breech-block; D, the hammer; E, the trigger, and F, the breech-operating-lcver, all wor ing on the same pin, l), inserted through the sides of the breech-receiver, but being fitted with a sleeve, a, outside of the piu, to facilitate their insertion, and the insertion of the piu.

The above-mentioned parts are a1l,'except in such particulars as will be hereinafter explained, substantially like the corresponding parts described in my Letters Patent, No. 72,803.

G is the cartridge-shell extractor, consisting of a sector like plate, having an upwardlyprojecting horn, c.

The sector-like portion is received within a circular recess, d', provided in one side of the breech-receiver, above the pin b, where it Works upon a short pin, d, screwed through one side of the breech-receiver. y

The horn c projects inward, toward the centre of the breech-receiver, and upward, iu rear of the barrel, in such manner that it may occupy a position in front ofthe anged head of a cartridge contained in the chamber of the bari el.

In front of the pin d, there is pivoted to the extractor, by a piu, c, a pawl, H, (see fig. 4,) which is held by a spring,I f, secured within the breech-receiver, in outact with the edge of one of the cheek-pieces g, of the lever F. .y

The connection of the pawl H with the extractor -is made within a recess, ij, in the inner face of the latter.

. Below the pawl H, there is a projection, h, on the front portion of the cheek-piece.v v Y The operation of the extractor is as follows:

When the breech-block is closed, the h orn c lies within a recess provided for it in one side of the chamber of the barrel, just in front of the dange on the head of a cartridge-shell that 'may be contained therein.

The projection h on the operating-lever is then sitv paw] H, causes the continued movement of the lever to turn the extractor, and throw back the horn c, which, pressing against the flange of the cartridge, withdraws it from the chamber, as shown in red out- .line in fig. 4.

Partly vin* consequence of the short distance of the connecting-pin c of the pawl from the centre-pin of the extractor, compared with the distance therefrom of the operating-point of the horn c,`and partly in consequence ofthe position ofthe connecting-pin e, in front ofthe centre-pin, permitting a considerable movement of the said connecting-pin with a very slight backward movement of the projection h, and corresponding movement of the handle of the lever F, the movementl of the cartridgeshell from the chamber is greatly accelerated, with respect to the continued opening-movement ofthe breechblock, and hence the extraction o. thev shell is very rapidan d, though positive, is almost like a jerk, causing it to be thrown clear of the breech-receiver, and the extraction is eected during avery small movement of the breech-block.. v

When the horn of the extractordias moved back far enough, and the shell has been extracted, the shoulder j at the back of the recess t j in the vextractor has,

' by coming in -contact with the under side ofthe pawl H, so far lifted up' the said pawl, that it* will clear the projection h'on the lever F, and allow the said projection to pass under its forward extremity. v

The extractor, havingbeen thus liberated 'from the lever F, is returned, by the pressurevof the spring j' on .the pawl, to the position shown ,in black outline in fig. 4, ready for the reloading -of the re-arm.

It is obvious that a projection on. the breech-block may be made to act upon the extractor in .the same `manner, and to perform the same duty as the projection k on the breech-operating lever.

I is the recoil-block, working upon the pink, which is inserted through the rear part of the breech-receiver.

This block is hollowed out in its front and upper part, for the passage of the hammer, and has its lower part, lv, forked, for entrance of the portion l of the breech-operating lever which enters the breech-receiver.

Its lower forked partis turned back, in such form that its lower part-is brought just within the breechreceiver, when the breech-block is locked, and that the straight shoulders 16 of theupper part of the breechoperating lever, on opposite sides of l, may then bear against the said part 1J, and so secure the recoil-block in place.

In the above condition of the recoil-block, a-bearing is formed on the upper side of each prong of the fork, for the action otl one of two pins, or tenons, m, projecting from opposite sides of the portion l of the breechoperating lever.

On the front part of each side of thesaid portion l of the lever, there is, on each side, a pin, or tenon, n,

which, when the breech is closed, and the operatinglever is close up to the stock, occupies a position a short distance above the forked backwardly-projecting tail-like lower extremity p of tlle breech-block.

A'spring, q, secured within the breech-receiver, or stock, as shown in fig. 1, presses .upward against the recoil-block in rear of the pin k, and so tends to press the front part down toward the breech-block.

When the lever F is pulled downward from the stock, to prepare for loading, the tenons m m, depressing the rear and lower portion fu of the recoil-block,

raise the upper and front portion above the shoulder fr on the breech-block, so that the latter can pass under it, and the tenons n, thenv coming into operation on the tail-like Jportion p of' the breech-block, produce the opening-movement of the latter, the tenons m m passing clear of the recoil-block, as those, n n, come into operation on the-breech-block.

Whenthe cartridge has been inserted into the chamber, and the lever is raised to close the breech, the upper portion of the said lever, coming into contact with the lower and rear portion of the breech-block, produces the closiug-movementof the latter; and before this closing-movementhas been quite completed,\ the shoulders 16 of the lever,on opposite sides of the portion l, come in contact with the lower extremity of the. recoil-block, and, -by pressing it upward and backward, cause the rounded lower corners of the upper extrem- .ity of the latter block, which has been previously raised by the cam-like action upon it ofthe eccentric During the latter portion of the upward movement of the lever, andwhile the upper end of the recoilblock is slipping behind the shoulder 1' of the breechblock, the forked tail-like portion v of the recoil-block passes under the tenons m. N

.The 'slipping down of the upper end of the recoilblock behind the'shoulder lr of the recoil-block, is accelerated by the spring q, which also helps to keep 'the' recoil-block` to its place' behind thesaid shoulder lr, and,

through'the action of tail-portion e of the recoil-block on the tenons m, to keep the lever close up to the breech-receiver, or stock.

J K is the mainl and sere-spring, made with two leaves, the lower, J, of which is the main spring, and the upper, K, is the sere-spring.

L, figs. 1, 3, 10, and l1, is the spring-ease, which contains the said spring, inserted .into a mortise, 14, (shown in fig. 4, where the spring-case is omitted,) provided for its reception in the stock and breech-receiver, below the barrel, where it hooks, at w, into the breech-receiver, and is thereby held up'within the stock, while it is prevented from moving backward, by the main springbeing in contact with the tumbler.

The spring is kept in place within the case, by being provided, on its upper leaf, with a tenon, 13, which fits snugly into a hole in the top of the'case.

The sere N is pivoted intc'the upper portion of the spring-case, near the front'end thereof.

Io provide'for theinsertion and removal of the spring and sere, one side of the case is made removable, when the case is removed from the mortise 14.

The sere has its two pivots, 17 17, one on each side, made in the same vpiece with, or permanently secured, one ente-ring a hole in the fixed, and the other a hole in the removable s ide ofthe case. Y

The sere, thus applied, acts upon thebifurcated scribed, and applied to Work on a pivot in a recess in 3. The spring-case L. containing the main spring, one side of the breech-receiver, and operated with a and applied t0 the {ire-arm, substantially as herein demotion accelerated, with respect to that of the breechscribed.

. block, by an attached pawl, H, and spring f, and a prc- 4. The sere, applied within the spring-case, subjection, h, on the breech-operating lever, or breechstantially as herein specified.

block, substantially as herein specified. L. CONROY. 2. The combination of the tenons m n and shoulders 16, on the breech-cperating lever, the swinging Witnesses:

breech-block, the recoil-block, and the spring q, sub- FRED HAYNES,

staintially as herein described. J. W. COOMBs. 

